After Alumnae Backlash, Radcliffe Learns Importance of Being Earnest

On Labor Day, Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson told her undergraduate audience at the Women's Leadership Conference, "for us at the moment at Radcliffe, we're exploring our relationship with Harvard."

It's been a long moment.

While Radcliffe enjoyed the international publicity from its Publishing Course's "100 Best Novels" list this summer, its leaders continued to mull the future of the 119-year-old institution in secret negotiations with top officials from Harvard University.

A conclusion to this saga is unlikely soon, since Radcliffe's leaders have been forced to perform a precarious juggling act: institutional planning in one hand, media relations in the other.

Radcliffe officials have scrambled to explain their "strategic planning process" ever since The Boston Globe alarmed alumnae that their alma mater faced downgrading within the University community, about to lose its status as a college.

Wilson tried to quell alumnae concerns about the college's future in June, noting in an Alumnae Day speech that the college is strong and that "our eyes are squarely on the prize of women and men in effective partnership."

But recognizing that the lifeblood of Radcliffe is its alumnae base, and realizing that base had been first ignored, then alienated and finally betrayed by vague press releases, Wilson is now working to cater specifically to the constituency that erupted in dismay this spring.

This week the president will announce a major nationwide tour scheduled for next month, unbeknownst to many Radcliffe regional representatives as of last week, in which she will formally solicit alumnae opinion on the college's future in a 10-city trip.

The top-level talks have proceeded, even as Wilson made spent much of her summer vacationing in Maine, with Radcliffe's stake often in the hands of Nancy-Beth G. Sheerr '71, chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Sheerr's board, as Wilson told alumnae in June, makes the final decisions about Radcliffe's institutional status.

It is a delicate balance, and Wilson and Sheerr must both appease apprehensive alumnae and negotiate a multi-million dollar deal to realize the next step in Radcliffe's murky metamorphosis.

The Vision Thing

The ultimate goal, several sources have told The Crimson, is to recreate Radcliffe as a research institute under the University's umbrella, dedicated to the study of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural issues of gender and society.

The new Radcliffe--under one proposal called the Radcliffe Institutes for Advanced Study--would focus its energies on cultivating collaboration, both between its own institutes (the Murray Research Center, the Bunting Institute and the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute) and with the Harvard faculties, along themes of inquiry from the media to human development to economics.

Several programs which examine scholarshipthrough "the gender lens"--including the Committeeon Degrees in Women's Studies in the Faculty ofArts and Sciences and the new Women and PublicPolicy Program at the Kennedy School--would gain acohesive hub, controlling academic overlap withinthe University. The move would also further theRudenstinian legacy of fostering interfacultyinitiatives.

A new institute would boast visiting fellows, acadre of scholars, new courses and rejuvenatedresources--in a perfect world.

The delay is in the details.

Negotiation Gap

Last fall, the leaders of Radcliffe'sSchlesinger Library, Bunting Institute, MurrayResearch Center and Public Policy Institute beganholding regular meetings to discuss ways for theoften-insular arms of the college to collaborate.

At the same time, Wilson and Sheerr heldregular meetings with President Neil L.Rudenstine, discussions which have alsoperiodically included Harvard Corporation membersHanna H. Gray and D. Ronald Daniel, Provost HarveyV. Fineberg '67, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R.Knowles, Pforzheimer Director of the SchlesingerLibrary Mary Maples Dunn andRadcliffe-commissioned consultants Anthony Knerrand Jim McAvoy.

Dunn and Gray, former presidents of SmithCollege and the University of Chicagorespectively, are no doubt helping inspire theacademic focus of the new conglomeration; Knerrand Daniel are pounding out the financial details.

However, sources close to the discussions pointto a divide between the two camps. Harvard andRadcliffe officials face a fundamentaldisagreement over issues of fundraising, alumnae,the use of endowment funds, power and governance,as well as the perennial custody battle overundergraduate women.

From Harvard's perspective, in addition toadding a new jewel to its academic crown, thenegotiations with Radcliffe are fundamentally abusiness proposal.

As such, officials on Harvard's end haveexamined--and questioned--Radcliffe's financialsuccess. While it would be inappropriate tomeasure Radcliffe by Harvard's scale, Radcliffe isnevertheless proportionately behind Harvard inthree crucial areas--campaign, investment yieldand endowment payout.

Many say Radcliffe should not be expected to beas successful as Harvard--with a narrower focusand constituency base.

But if Radcliffe demands a future that is too"grandiose," the resulting financial supportnecessary from Harvard would seem too draining andjeopardize a merger deal.

Harvard has no incentive to acquire Radcliffeif it were a financial liability. Harvardcurrently enjoys the use of many Radcliffebuildings--like the Quad Houses and HillesLibrary--free of charge.

On the other hand, Radcliffe would not want toenter an agreement that would challenge its claimto its now $170 million endowment--sizable for aninstitution of its size.

Nor would it be wise to sacrifice programsdeemed important to Radcliffe's historical missionand commitment to its alumnae.

So while Harvard's negotiators hope to cutRadcliffe's institutional fat, Radclifferepresentatives continue to "think big."

The summits have taken a pause for the timebeing, as the Radcliffe Board of Trustees meet anddiscuss possible concessions and options.

The Information-Hungry

No decision can be made without consulting--orappearing to consult--Radcliffe's most importantresource: its alumnae.

Radcliffe officials spent the spring deflectingquestions from the press and worried alumnae afterthe Globe reported that "Radcliffe's days ascollege coming to end" on Easter Sunday. Sheerrinsisted that any "future planning" for Radcliffewas internal and routine, while board members ofthe Radcliffe College Alumnae Association (RCAA)demanded answers from Wilson.

RCAA Second Vice President Peggy M. McIntosh'56 resigned her position to protest the secrecyof the high-level negotiations.

By late May, Wilson had posted a "call forcomments" on the Radcliffe web site(www.radcliffe.edu), outlining the "intellectualterrain" for the Radcliffe of the future andasking for alumnae input. During Commencement,Wilson promised her audience that the options forRadcliffe's institutional status would beexplained--"in time."

Going a step further, Wilson is sending outletters to alumnae this week and will play"official listener," announcing a month-longNational Outreach Tour beginning October 8 at theNational Press Club in Washington D.C. (seemap). The trip will emphasize bringing"important discussions about Radcliffe's futureopportunities" to the average 'Cliffie, and may bemodeled on the alumnae question-and-answer sessionheld on Alumnae Day in early June.

In addition, the upcoming issue of RadcliffeQuarterly will feature correspondence displayingthe wide range of opinions held by the RCAAmembership, according to RCAA Executive DirectorMary M. Carty '74.

The Outreach Tour has been organized primarilyby Wilson and her principal staff, and many RCAArepresentatives across the nation were unaware ofthe president's visit as of last week. Theinformation is only now being disseminated, fourweeks before the first stop on the trip, andinitial reactions to the tour are positive.

While there are some who cringe at the end ofan independent Radcliffe, dozens of alumnae havetold The Crimson they support some type ofinstitutional change if a Radcliffe within Harvardwere well-funded and supported for the future.

Carty says the road trip is a good idea, andthat alumnae are responding favorably to theopportunity to voice their views.

If Wilson can return to Cambridge in Novemberwith an iota of a mandate, she and Sheerr can feelmore confident at the negotiating table later thisfall. They will at least be able to say they askedfor alumnae opinion, even if there is some vocalopposition to a major merger.

Home Base

Back in Cambridge, Wilson and her staff try toreturn to business as usual as the communitybraces for what promises to be a defining year forThe Relationship.

there are no Radcliffe T-shirts for theundergraduates this year. (Radcliffeadministrators say they had been told by studentsthat the shirts were "tacky marketing tactics," soFay House opted for "cool and high-tech" mousepadsinstead.)

Never mind, too, that Radcliffe CollegeConvocation has been postponed to October to avoidcompetition with other first-year week events andto instead coincide with the biannual AlumnaeCouncil weekend.

The "double presidency" continues. PresidentWilson has written her annual letter tofirst-years, and tours for prospective studentscontinue to tout the "dual citizenship" enjoyed byfemale undergraduates. Wilson and Rudenstinepressed the flesh at the First-Year Barbecue thisweekend.

Maybe no one will even notice that Radcliffe'sfuture is in flux.

When Adam M. Taub '02 was asked whether he wasaware of the current negotiations between Harvardand Radcliffe, Taub echoed the sentiments of manyof his classmates when he replied, "not until youjust said that."

That's exactly what Radcliffe wants to hear.

Name: Neil L. Rudenstine

Position: President, Harvard University

Strategies: Design interfacultyinitiatives, end confusion of theHarvard-Radcliffe relationship

Name: Linda S. Wilson

Position: President, Radcliffe College

Strategies: Preserve the spirit ofRadcliffe, end institutional ambiguities

Name: Jeremy R. Knowles

Position: Dean of the Faculty of Artsand Sciences

Strategy: Harness responsibility for allundergraduates without Radcliffe's intervention

Name: Nancy-Beth G. Sheerr '71

Position: Chairman of the Board,Radcliffe College

Strategies: Create a cohesiveinstitution, end institutional ambiguities

Name: Hanna H. Gray

Position: Member of Harvard Corporation

Strategy: Provide input into academicmission of the new Radcliffe

Name: D. Ronald Daniel

Position: Member of Harvard Corporation

Strategy: Negotiate financially -sounddeal for HarvardCrimsonAmelia E. MorrowWilson's Cross-Country Tour Radcliffealumnae will have the chance to voice their viewswhen President Linda S. Wilson crosses thecontinent in the name of "outreach."

Several programs which examine scholarshipthrough "the gender lens"--including the Committeeon Degrees in Women's Studies in the Faculty ofArts and Sciences and the new Women and PublicPolicy Program at the Kennedy School--would gain acohesive hub, controlling academic overlap withinthe University. The move would also further theRudenstinian legacy of fostering interfacultyinitiatives.

A new institute would boast visiting fellows, acadre of scholars, new courses and rejuvenatedresources--in a perfect world.

The delay is in the details.

Negotiation Gap

Last fall, the leaders of Radcliffe'sSchlesinger Library, Bunting Institute, MurrayResearch Center and Public Policy Institute beganholding regular meetings to discuss ways for theoften-insular arms of the college to collaborate.

At the same time, Wilson and Sheerr heldregular meetings with President Neil L.Rudenstine, discussions which have alsoperiodically included Harvard Corporation membersHanna H. Gray and D. Ronald Daniel, Provost HarveyV. Fineberg '67, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R.Knowles, Pforzheimer Director of the SchlesingerLibrary Mary Maples Dunn andRadcliffe-commissioned consultants Anthony Knerrand Jim McAvoy.

Dunn and Gray, former presidents of SmithCollege and the University of Chicagorespectively, are no doubt helping inspire theacademic focus of the new conglomeration; Knerrand Daniel are pounding out the financial details.

However, sources close to the discussions pointto a divide between the two camps. Harvard andRadcliffe officials face a fundamentaldisagreement over issues of fundraising, alumnae,the use of endowment funds, power and governance,as well as the perennial custody battle overundergraduate women.

From Harvard's perspective, in addition toadding a new jewel to its academic crown, thenegotiations with Radcliffe are fundamentally abusiness proposal.

As such, officials on Harvard's end haveexamined--and questioned--Radcliffe's financialsuccess. While it would be inappropriate tomeasure Radcliffe by Harvard's scale, Radcliffe isnevertheless proportionately behind Harvard inthree crucial areas--campaign, investment yieldand endowment payout.

Many say Radcliffe should not be expected to beas successful as Harvard--with a narrower focusand constituency base.

But if Radcliffe demands a future that is too"grandiose," the resulting financial supportnecessary from Harvard would seem too draining andjeopardize a merger deal.

Harvard has no incentive to acquire Radcliffeif it were a financial liability. Harvardcurrently enjoys the use of many Radcliffebuildings--like the Quad Houses and HillesLibrary--free of charge.

On the other hand, Radcliffe would not want toenter an agreement that would challenge its claimto its now $170 million endowment--sizable for aninstitution of its size.

Nor would it be wise to sacrifice programsdeemed important to Radcliffe's historical missionand commitment to its alumnae.

So while Harvard's negotiators hope to cutRadcliffe's institutional fat, Radclifferepresentatives continue to "think big."

The summits have taken a pause for the timebeing, as the Radcliffe Board of Trustees meet anddiscuss possible concessions and options.

The Information-Hungry

No decision can be made without consulting--orappearing to consult--Radcliffe's most importantresource: its alumnae.

Radcliffe officials spent the spring deflectingquestions from the press and worried alumnae afterthe Globe reported that "Radcliffe's days ascollege coming to end" on Easter Sunday. Sheerrinsisted that any "future planning" for Radcliffewas internal and routine, while board members ofthe Radcliffe College Alumnae Association (RCAA)demanded answers from Wilson.

RCAA Second Vice President Peggy M. McIntosh'56 resigned her position to protest the secrecyof the high-level negotiations.

By late May, Wilson had posted a "call forcomments" on the Radcliffe web site(www.radcliffe.edu), outlining the "intellectualterrain" for the Radcliffe of the future andasking for alumnae input. During Commencement,Wilson promised her audience that the options forRadcliffe's institutional status would beexplained--"in time."

Going a step further, Wilson is sending outletters to alumnae this week and will play"official listener," announcing a month-longNational Outreach Tour beginning October 8 at theNational Press Club in Washington D.C. (seemap). The trip will emphasize bringing"important discussions about Radcliffe's futureopportunities" to the average 'Cliffie, and may bemodeled on the alumnae question-and-answer sessionheld on Alumnae Day in early June.

In addition, the upcoming issue of RadcliffeQuarterly will feature correspondence displayingthe wide range of opinions held by the RCAAmembership, according to RCAA Executive DirectorMary M. Carty '74.

The Outreach Tour has been organized primarilyby Wilson and her principal staff, and many RCAArepresentatives across the nation were unaware ofthe president's visit as of last week. Theinformation is only now being disseminated, fourweeks before the first stop on the trip, andinitial reactions to the tour are positive.

While there are some who cringe at the end ofan independent Radcliffe, dozens of alumnae havetold The Crimson they support some type ofinstitutional change if a Radcliffe within Harvardwere well-funded and supported for the future.

Carty says the road trip is a good idea, andthat alumnae are responding favorably to theopportunity to voice their views.

If Wilson can return to Cambridge in Novemberwith an iota of a mandate, she and Sheerr can feelmore confident at the negotiating table later thisfall. They will at least be able to say they askedfor alumnae opinion, even if there is some vocalopposition to a major merger.

Home Base

Back in Cambridge, Wilson and her staff try toreturn to business as usual as the communitybraces for what promises to be a defining year forThe Relationship.

there are no Radcliffe T-shirts for theundergraduates this year. (Radcliffeadministrators say they had been told by studentsthat the shirts were "tacky marketing tactics," soFay House opted for "cool and high-tech" mousepadsinstead.)

Never mind, too, that Radcliffe CollegeConvocation has been postponed to October to avoidcompetition with other first-year week events andto instead coincide with the biannual AlumnaeCouncil weekend.

The "double presidency" continues. PresidentWilson has written her annual letter tofirst-years, and tours for prospective studentscontinue to tout the "dual citizenship" enjoyed byfemale undergraduates. Wilson and Rudenstinepressed the flesh at the First-Year Barbecue thisweekend.

Maybe no one will even notice that Radcliffe'sfuture is in flux.

When Adam M. Taub '02 was asked whether he wasaware of the current negotiations between Harvardand Radcliffe, Taub echoed the sentiments of manyof his classmates when he replied, "not until youjust said that."

That's exactly what Radcliffe wants to hear.

Name: Neil L. Rudenstine

Position: President, Harvard University

Strategies: Design interfacultyinitiatives, end confusion of theHarvard-Radcliffe relationship

Name: Linda S. Wilson

Position: President, Radcliffe College

Strategies: Preserve the spirit ofRadcliffe, end institutional ambiguities

Name: Jeremy R. Knowles

Position: Dean of the Faculty of Artsand Sciences

Strategy: Harness responsibility for allundergraduates without Radcliffe's intervention

Name: Nancy-Beth G. Sheerr '71

Position: Chairman of the Board,Radcliffe College

Strategies: Create a cohesiveinstitution, end institutional ambiguities

Name: Hanna H. Gray

Position: Member of Harvard Corporation

Strategy: Provide input into academicmission of the new Radcliffe

Name: D. Ronald Daniel

Position: Member of Harvard Corporation

Strategy: Negotiate financially -sounddeal for HarvardCrimsonAmelia E. MorrowWilson's Cross-Country Tour Radcliffealumnae will have the chance to voice their viewswhen President Linda S. Wilson crosses thecontinent in the name of "outreach."